SEASONS
by Madame Batolli
Summary: A collection of four oneshots based on previous (really old) fics. In SUMMER, a while after the events of the fourth tournament, Xiaoyu and Hwoarang take a well-deserved holiday. 'Hwo grins down at me, and golden sunlight slips in through a gap in the curtains as his mouth meets mine.'
1. WINTER

_Author's Note: I haven't written any fanfic in years, but I just had this concept in my head that would only work if I picked up these particular characters and played around with them for a while. It ended up being a proper nostalgia fix for me, and I thought it might be nice to share it. This is a oneshot set maybe six months or so after Restless, but if you never read it, there's no need to go there first. You'll be okay. _

**WINTER**

Xiaoyu's apartment was pretty bare considering she'd been living there half a year. It wasn't like she hadn't had the time to decorate; her cafe job was only part-time. It suited her just fine, but she knew it was a privilege she wouldn't be able to afford if it wasn't for Jin. She hadn't wanted that.

Freezing rain tapped at the lounge window, and she tightened her grip on her mug. Silence and the medicinal scent of honey & lemon hung in the air. She tried to take a breath through her nose, but it was still too stuffy and sore. Stinging eyes surveyed the room, searching for her blanket. It was where she'd left it, tossed carelessly over the back of the sofa as she'd left for work the previous morning. She'd called in sick today.

The best thing for her to do would be to go back to sleep, but her mind was too full, her thoughts too fast. She suddenly found herself dwelling on a memory, hadn't expected the strength of the sadness that clutched at her. The warmth of Jin's hand on her forehead, the weight of the tray on her knees. He'd brought her soup, climbed into bed with her. She remembered the cool laptop light glinting off his glasses, screen crammed with charts and spreadsheets, the sound of his fingers on the keyboard lulling her to sleep.

The insistent buzz of her phone snapped her awake. Probably a telemarketer; no one else would be calling her on a workday morning. Was it still morning? Must be. She hadn't been asleep that long, surely? Wait, when had she fallen to sleep?

She needed soup. She could probably do with making a quick trip to the pharmacy for some cough medicine, too. It was only a short walk from the apartment, through a park bursting with trees, bare branches stretching to the sky. Xiaoyu pulled her hair into a messy bun, throwing her red raincoat over her pyjamas. She stopped for a second, considering whether it was worth getting dressed properly, then slid her pyjama bottoms off and pulled on a pair of leggings, still slightly damp from the washer. What did it matter?

Outside, the air was heavy, the rain painting everything grey. A bus rolled past as she waited at the crossing, its wheels flicking up a mist of dirty water. She should have put a scarf on. Her mother would have pushed one into her hands, telling her she'd make herself worse, going out in that weather. It would have been too much effort to find one. Everything was too much effort right now. She was twenty-one, and everything was too much effort. What sense did that make?

She'd reached the strip of shops. There was the bakery, stuffed to the brim with people and wet umbrellas. They sold the best cupcakes in the city, but it had been a long time since she'd had any appetite. Past the bakery was a takeaway stand, neon signs dark, empty until the evening. She entered the supermarket next door, heading past the ever-present queue at the kiosk towards the pharmacy at the back.

Hwoarang had been smoking the last time she'd seen him. It was almost burned out when she'd arrived, but he didn't light another, just crushed it in the ashtray. She remembered his hand on her thigh, his mouth on hers. No words exchanged, conversation discarded like cigarettes. Had he stopped answering, or had she?

Again, her phone rang. Again, it stopped.

Xiaoyu paid for cough syrup, painkillers, lozenges, tissues, soup. Outside, the street was bustling with salarymen eating lunch, holding hurried conversations on their phones, splashing through puddles, dark suits speckled with rain. She wondered how many of them worked for Mishima Corp. How many of them had wives that packed their meals and waited for them every night. How many of them arrived home, shrugged off dinner, scattered papers across the table before they'd even taken off their shoes.

Jin had said 'I hope you're happy'. She'd tried to argue against taking the apartment, but he wouldn't accept her refusal. The signatures stared up at her before the papers were slid away, locked in a briefcase, and that's when he'd said it. There was no bitterness. It was what he genuinely wanted for her. Forgiveness was another matter.

Forgiveness was impossible. The fact that it was self-inflicted made it even worse.

Her canvas bag was soaked by the time she arrived home to an unlocked door. Her mind registered a prickle of fear, remembered turning the key before she left.

"Where's your umbrella?"

Miharu's accusing voice pierced the silence, her energy already exhausting.

"...Shouldn't you be working?"

"You're more important."

Xiaoyu's throat tightened as she set the bag down on the counter and unpacked the soup. Miharu grabbed it from her numb hands, rubbed them between hers.

"Xiao, you're freezing! Go sit down and I'll warm it up, okay?"

She took her raincoat, hung it on the back of the door to dry. Sitting on the sofa and pulling her blanket around her, Xiaoyu watched as Miharu heated a pan on the stove.

"I had an idea last night," she said after a while. "I wanna go somewhere. And you're gonna come with me."

"No," Xiaoyu answered automatically. "We've only just come back from China."

Miharu shook her head, the cool kitchen light glinting in her hair. She brought the soup over on a tray, climbed onto the sofa next to her.

"Are you kidding? That was last year, Xiao. Seriously, I think you might be delirious. But anyway, one of my clients just came back from Iceland," she said, pulling out her phone. "Look at these pictures and tell me 'no' again."

The unmistakeable green glow of the Northern Lights stared back at her. An appointment notification popped up on Miharu's phone to interrupt, but she dismissed it, scrolling through the photos. Black skies studded with stars, the glisten of snow on the ground, breathtaking ribbons of light sweeping overhead, green melting into dark purples and reds.

"Look, I know it's been rough for you lately. I just think another trip might help. Plus, it'll be spring soon, we won't get a chance to see them if we don't go now. Alright? And c'mon, what's stopping us?" Miharu asked. "Well, apart from you dying from 'flu before we get chance to go, that is?" And for the first time in a while, Xiaoyu felt a smile at her lips.

"Nothing," she answered. "Nothing's stopping us."


	2. SPRING

_Author's Note: There was no way I could write a series of oneshots based on old fanfics and not include _Monochrome_. It was uploaded in 2003 and it really shows, but I'll always have a massive soft spot for it. This story would probably have to have taken place between chapters 2 and 3 for it to fit, but again, there's really no need to go and read them. Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed _WINTER_, I'm so happy and grateful that you guys took the time to do that._

* * *

**SPRING**

* * *

"This can't be happening..." I drag my feet, heaving a huge sigh as Miharu falls into step beside me. "I've never been so disappointed in my life."

"Don't worry, as soon as we—"

"_In one hundred meters, turn left," _her phone interrupts. She clears her throat.

"As I was _saying, _as soon as we get sat down, I'll work my magic. Trust me." She wiggles her fingers at her phone screen like she's casting a spell. "You'll know _allllllll _there is to know."

"Fuck's sake," Hwoarang stops, folding his arms. "How much farther?"

I cast a glance at the never-ending row of shops, then look at Miharu miserably. Usually, I'd be racing into the nearest drugstore, but today there's something _way_ higher on my priority list than a new makeup bag and some replacement mascara. (Recent mishap involving Panda. Don't ask.)

"Are we nearly there yet?"

"_Turn left," _the phone replies.

"Stop moaning, the pair of you," Miharu says as we set off again. "It's only two seconds away."

"You said that ten minutes ago," Hwoarang mutters.

"Are you sure you put the right address in, Mi?"

"Has the Goddess of Maps ever sent you down the wrong path before?" Miharu grins at me, pointing at a sign in the distance. "See? I can't believe you ever doubted me. Next time, you'll have much more faith in my divine power, I'm sure."

"Forgive me, your Majesty. I'm just impatient for cake. And info."

"Well, with that in mind, I'll let it slide this time. I'm generous like that."

Miharu pauses and looks at Hwo, waiting for the inevitable sarcastic remark, but he isn't paying attention. He's staring at the sign in disbelief. It reads: 'Nine Lives Cat Cafe'.

"What the hell? You never said it was one of _these_ friggin' places!" He points an accusing finger at her. "You said we were going for coffee!"

"What? They sell coffee!" Miharu argues. She's trying to act innocent, but the fact she's barely containing her amusement kind of gives the game away.

"No way. I'm out," he says flatly. "Here's your stuff."

I can't help laughing as he shoves my backpack into my hands; the look of disgust on his face is just too much.

"Don't tell me you're scared of cats, Hwo."

"Of course I'm fuckin' not, but that doesn't mean I want to—"

"Oh _come on_, Hwo," Miharu interrupts. "It's not like you've got anything better to do, is it?"

He looks indignant, glances at the sign above the cafe again. After a long moment's consideration, he holds his hands up in surrender.

"Ugh. Whatever."

She gives a satisfied smile, then steps forward and pulls open the door. A cheerful mid-twenties woman in a fuzzy black sweater lets us inside, flashing a wide smile as we approach the counter.

"Hi guys! Are you booked in, or were you hoping we paw-sibly had a free table?"

"We booked, it should be under Hirano," Miharu replies with a grin, ignoring the contemptuous look Hwoarang throws her way.

"Purr-fect! And will you be paying together or separately?"

"Together."

"Nice, it's always good when everyone puts money in the kitty, am I right?"

Me and Miharu both burst into laughter. Hwoarang's stony silence just makes it even funnier.

After we've ordered and paid, I sink down onto the squashy, well-clawed leather sofa in front of our table and pull out my phone. There's one of those massive cat trees nearby, a construction site of scratching posts, perches and hidey holes. A fat ginger tabby blinks at me from one of the perches in the middle. Sunlight spills through the window, soft music's playing from a set of speakers in the corner, and when I breathe in, the scent of coffee and chocolate fills my nose. Gotta say, I like this place already.

"I really hope that magic of yours is extra-magical today, Mi, because believe me, I tried my best," I tell her. "There's nothing."

"You just sit back and watch a master at work," Miharu says, taking her own phone out and unlocking it. "I'll find him. You'll know everything soon enough."

"Who're you going on about, anyway?" Hwo asks, throwing himself into the chair opposite us and making one of the snoozing cats jump. "I mean, it can't be me, 'cause you're both so obsessed with me that you know everything already. Apart from which one of you I like more." He winks at me.

"We're talking about Jin, obviously," I reply. Hwo can be so dense sometimes. "Keep up."

He rolls his eyes.

"Kazama? The new guy?"

"Yes, Kazama. The new guy. The new guy with absolutely _zero_ social media presence. What's that about?"

I mean, seriously, how am I supposed to make sure that I like the same stuff as him and that he's not into anything weird and that he's not an absolute dick who uses Snapchat while he's driving, and, most importantly, that he's single?

Because if he has a girlfriend then I might actually die. And then who'd look after Panda?

Miharu's clearly not faring much better than I did, judging by the frown on her face as she scrolls through her phone. The waitress approaches with our order and I can see my big slice of chocolate fudge cake on the tray. I rub my hands together. It's gonna taste so good, I can tell. No cake can be that gooey and not taste amazing.

"Here we go, guys!"

She puts the tray on the table in front of us, distracting Miharu from her search, then sets our cups down, along with some milk in a little metal jug.

"Just a quick word of warning. You see Jeff up there?" She points to the big fluffy tabby, still on his perch. "He _really_ loves milk, so keep an eye on him while you have your drinks, okay?"

As if in response, Jeff leaps down from the cat tree and disappears from view, slinking behind one of the chairs. Nearby, a couple of kids have broken out the treats and are currently surrounded by hungry felines. I smile. That's probably what got him moving.

"Find anything?" I ask Miharu as she picks up her fork and starts attacking her cheesecake. Hwo smirks.

"I can see it now. 'Felt boring as absolute fuck, might delete later, idk.'"

"Shut up," I snap. "At least he doesn't check in at the gym every five seconds like _some_ people."

Hwoarang shrugs and pours milk into his coffee.

"Remind me again how many pictures you and Miharu have posted in the last twenty-four hours where you've both got fucking massive eyes and cat ears and shit?"

Okay, I have no comeback for that. Luckily, I don't need one. Jeff takes the opportunity to spring onto the chair arm and knock the jug out of Hwo's hand while he's distracted, sending it tumbling to the floor with a clang and a splash. Miharu bursts out laughing as cats scatter left and right, some running over to join Jeff for a drink.

"Nice reflexes there, Hwo," I tease. "No, really. Baek would be _so_ proud."

Anyone else would falter under his white hot glare, but I just smile.

Later, as we're heading home, I can't help but grab Miharu's hand and fix her with my best pleading look.

"I know you tried really hard already, but could you try again later? After you've finished studying? Pleeeeeeaase? He's gotta have an account _somewhere_, right?"

"I dunno... Now that I think about it, it's sorta cool that he's got no online presence," Miharu says. "I mean, it's kinda sexy and mysterious, right? Makes him way more interesting..."

"True..." I give a dreamy sigh. It's partly exaggerated to annoy Hwo, and it does the trick.

"Okay. Now I'm definitely out." Hwoarang breaks step with us, heading towards home. There's a warmth in the air, the late afternoon breeze scattering cherry blossom like snow. I stop and shade my eyes from the sun, take it in for a little while. I like to do stuff like that sometimes, believe it or not. Plus, I have English homework and anything I can do to delay _that _is definitely worth doing.

Honestly though, not being able to find out anything about Jin just makes me even more curious about him. I mean, how can a boy _that_ good-looking not feel the need to post a selfie every once in a while? I know, I know, he's probably just your average guy. No mysterious past, nothing to write home about. But still. I can dream, right?


	3. SUMMER

Author's Note: This one is dedicated to Razer Athane, as most of them are! :) Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review SPRING and let me know what you thought of it, it honestly still makes my day whenever I get a review. I just love hearing your feedback! By the way, I wrote this on Notepad, so if there are any typos that I've missed, please let me know so I can fix them! This chapter takes place sometime after NEXT LEVEL. I wanted to write something cheerful and light hearted, so I hope you guys like it and it makes you smile.

* * *

**SUMMER**

* * *

My dreams are back to normal.

I haven't dreamed about Jun, or devils, or getting strangled, for months now. Which is a huge relief. For a while, I'd feel a rush of anxiety when I closed my eyes, scared to dream at all. Even if I'd been training and I was exhausted, or if I'd stayed up late on the phone to Miharu, or if me and Hwo had gone for a long drive together and I'd snuck into the house at three in the morning, trying my best to avoid that one creaky floorboard in the hallway that always finds my foot no matter what, I still didn't want to sleep.

I'm not worried about it any more.

Right now, I'm protecting Panda from being kidnapped (bearnapped?) by a neverending stream of Kuma clones. They're absolutely everywhere, coming from all directions, and no matter how many times I lash out with my fists and feet, another blur of fur is somehow right in front of me. This one snarls in my face, massive paws raised to attack. It opens its jaws wide, hot breath rippling through my hair. I've only got a split second to react. Panda's cowering behind me, her terrified whimpers whistling through her teeth. I snap my foot forward, landing a solid kick right in Kuma's huge snout. It's like hitting a brick wall. Its voice rumbles, sounding distant, miles away.

"What the actual fuck?!"

Wait. Since when could Kuma talk?

"Mmm?" I grunt, stupid with sleep, and when I force my eyes open, Hwo's sitting up in bed, staring at me quizzically, his hair all over the place. He's clearly only just woken up himself.

"S'wrong?" I mumble, and he snorts.

"You just fuckin' volleyed me in the ribs, that's what's wrong."

"...I was dreaming about bears."

He waits for me to elaborate, but I just gaze at him, bleary-eyed.

"...Well that explains everything."

There's a long pause, and I'm more awake now, trying to wipe the smile from my face in case I really hurt him with that kick.

"Sorry, Hwo."

"You better be," he says, casting me a sidelong glance. "Fuckin' bears. Are you kidding me?"

I can't hold it in anymore, and Hwo yawns loudly as I bury my face in his chest to smother my giggles.

"Minding my own business and I get attacked in my sleep," he grumbles, and I feel his arm slide around my bare shoulders. "I mean... what the fuck?"

"I was just testing your reflexes," I say to him, still laughing. "You should've blocked. Baek'll be so disappointed in you."

The sun's rising outside. I can hear the rush of the waves as I rest against Hwo, listening to his heartbeat. After a while, he breathes out a long sigh, pushing my messy hair away from his skin.

"You're itching my armpit," he tells me, and I take the earliest opportunity to flick my hair straight back to where it was. "...And _now_ you're just intentionally being a dick."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm _never_ a dick to you."

I smile up at him, all innocence, then give a squeak of surprise as he flips me onto the mattress. Hwo grins down at me, and the first rays of golden sunlight slip in through a gap in the curtains as his mouth meets mine.

* * *

Christie Monteiro looks like an actual goddess. I notice her striding over the sand, hair swept up into a sleek ponytail, completely unaffected by the stifling heat, and there's no mistaking that beaming smile. I jump off my sunlounger and wave as she approaches, and she immediately reaches up and whips her sunglasses off, eyes wide.

"Xiaoyu? Oh my God, hey!"

"What are you doing here?" I ask, taking my own sunglasses off and throwing them onto the sunlounger. I instantly regret it. It's midday and the sun is blindingly bright. Which kind of adds to Christie's goddess-ness, since I can barely see her through the glare.

"I'm here with some friends," she tells me, grinning. "They're a bit worse for wear, so I came for a walk by myself. How about you?"

I gesture to Miharu, who's asleep on the lounger next to mine, her fashion magazine lying open on the floor, pages fluttering in the breeze.

"Same."

She laughs. "Shouldn't you wake her up? She's gonna have a handprint on her stomach if she's not careful."

I glance over. It's true, Miharu has her arm thrown across her middle and it's ridiculously hot right now, but I shake my head.

"She gets super cranky if you wake her up. I'd rather risk her getting mad at me for letting her get weird tan lines."

A beach ball lands near Christie's foot then, glistening in the sun, and I can see a kid in the distance running towards us to retrieve it. She kicks it back to him with a wave and a megawatt smile, and I watch as the wind catches it, carrying it off course, a colourful blur against the sand. It rolls towards a vending machine, and I wipe the sweat from my forehead with my arm. It's so hot that I don't even fancy a bar of chocolate.

"So what've you been up to since the tournament? Did you find Eddy?"

She grins, says nothing.

"Oh my God, you did! When? What happened? How'd it go?"

"He showed up at the tournament," she answers, still smiling. "I was dragging my suitcase downstairs to the lobby and he was just... there. I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life, I literally just threw my case against the wall when I saw him!"

I burst out laughing. I can just picture the girl on the reception desk jumping out of her skin.

"Then once I'd hugged him like a million times and screamed at him for disappearing in the first place-"

"Obviously," I interject, and she laughs in response.

"-I realised it'd popped open and all my stuff was everywhere. And Eddy tried to help me put it all back and dropped my perfume 'cause he'd hurt his arm, and it smashed and I was devastated. So all in all, the tournament was a terrible experience."

"See you at the next one, then?"

"Oh, definitely. Next time I'm gonna win. I hope you'll be there to support me." She winks.

"Is Eddy here too?"

She shakes her head, ponytail swishing in the breeze.

"He's at home. But it's my last day today, so I'll see him soon enough."

"_Sooooo..._" I couldn't help it. I had to ask. "Are you guys... y'know... together?"

Christie puts her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at me, but there's a sparkle of amusement on her face.

"Remember how annoyed you used to get when I thought you and Hwoarang were getting it on? Yeah. That."

"Oh-ho-ho!" Miharu is suddenly looming over my shoulder, laughing demonically. "And look how _that_ turned out in the end!"

"When did you sneak up?" I ask, trying to look unflustered, but I can feel my face heating up. She smirks, moving to stand beside me and pushing her damp hair out of her face. We went swimming in the sea earlier. I still have wet sand between my toes.

"About... hmmm... ten seconds ago?"

"_Sooooo..._ 'look how that turned out', huh?" Christie echoes, fixing me with a triumphant smile. "What have I missed?

I open my mouth to reply, but Miharu beats me to it.

"They're _totally_ getting it on. Hi, by the way."

"Hi!" Christie giggles, looking at me expectantly. "So? When did that happen?"

"Miharu!" I whine, embarrassed, and she flashes me a wicked grin.

"What? Did I lie?" She turns back to Christie. "Get this, we were all hanging out together, I went to run an errand, and when I came back they were making out on the couch. Some friends, am I right? Probably couldn't wait to get me out of the way!"

"Errand?" I repeat in disbelief. "You know full well you did that on purpose! You said you were only running out to take a book back, but you were gone ages! You went and got coffee! Big difference."

"Let's not argue over specifics," she waves me off, smiling.

"Well!" Christie says, sitting down on my lounger. "That's pretty much the least surprising news ever. Gotta say, it's about time. It was so obvious."

"I know, right? So obvious." Miharu sits across from her, nudging her magazine out of the way with her foot. "And Xiao would probably still be dithering all over the place if it wasn't for me."

"You just said-"

"-And look how happy you are now. Where's the gratitude? You could at least buy me a 'thank you' ice cream."

"You haven't even thanked her?" Christie asks, feigning disappointment. "Xiao, that's harsh."

"I can't believe you guys only just met and you're already double teaming me!" I cry, only halfway indignant. The two of them burst into laughter, and the next second, I feel a hand on my back and Hwo's next to me.

"Double teaming?" He raises a brow. "Looks like I got back at just the right time. Carry on, I'll just stay here and watch."

"You haven't changed," Christie tells him, and he flashes her a grin.

"It's been a while."

She nods in agreement, casting a teasing glance my way.

"Miharu was just updating me. You and Xiao, huh?"

"I know." He exaggerates a sigh. "I tried to tell her that I wasn't interested but she just wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually I just thought 'fuck it, how bad can it be?' Turns out you should never ask that question."

I try to elbow him, but he wraps an arm around my waist and presses me close so that I can't move my arm, flashing me an amused look. I'm doing my best to look annoyed, but it's hard when I can feel his fingers tickling my side, his body warm against me. It makes me think about the last time I felt his hands on my bare skin.

"I know you're probably disappointed that Xiao got there first, but life's not always fair," he continues to Christie, and she gives an amused snort.

"No worries, Hwo. In a couple of years, I'm sure I'll get over it."

"Where's Jung?" I ask, shading my eyes with my free hand and scanning the beach.

"Went to get ice cream. I wasn't bothered, so..."

He trails off as Miharu and I stare at him, stony faced.

"What?"

"And I'm assuming since _you_ weren't bothered, you didn't ask him to bring anything back for us?" I demand, stepping out of his grip.

"You were both asleep, why would I?"

I swear he's being intentionally dumb right now. Plus, who in their right mind would pass up ice cream in this heat?

"Are you kidding me?"

"Sorry." He shrugs. "Go get some if you want. Actually, get me a bottle of water while you're there."

I carry on staring at him, and for a few seconds we just look at each other, me scowling, him trying not to laugh. Finally, he holds his hands up in surrender.

"Fuck's sake. Alright, what flavour?"

I smile, satisfied.

* * *

It's early evening now, and Miharu's ordered a drink that comes served in a massive, hollowed out pineapple. When it arrives, complete with three neon green straws and a glittery paper parrot on a stick, a huge grin spreads across her face.

"Have you ever seen anything as amazing in your life?" she asks gleefully, snapping a picture of it with her phone. Jung opens his mouth to reply, and before he can get a word out, she cuts him off.

"No. No you haven't. Don't even lie."

He closes his mouth again, and I smile. They've bickered every day since we got here. The first thing they disagreed on is who got to take the credit for getting me and Hwo together, and they haven't agreed on anything since. Jung's looking at Hwoarang, his brow furrowed.

"Remind me again why you invited her along? I mean, I kiiiiinda but not really understand you bringin' Xiaoyu, but _her_?"

"Wait, wait," Miharu holds up a hand, making a show of searching her pockets. "I need to get my tiny violin out before you carry on."

Jung folds his arms, presses his mouth into a thin line. Miharu just looks at him with an expectant grin.

"C'mon, let's hear it again." She puts a deep, whiny voice on for the next bit. "_Hwoooooo_, this was meant to be a girl-free zone! Bros before hoes, man!"

"Well, it _was_ meant to be a girl-free zone," Jung mutters. "But since Hwo's a total dick, he decided that rule didn't apply to him."

"The rules _never_ apply to me, Jung, you should know that by now." Hwo stretches, putting his arms behind his head. "Anyway, you said it was okay, so stop being a little bitch about it."

Jung sighs theatrically.

"Fuck. I did, didn't I? Why did I say it was okay, again?"

Hwo flashes an arch smile, his eyes flicking to Miharu.

"I wonder..." he says, and taps his chin with a finger. Miharu's either oblivious, or just pretending not to notice. She takes a big, noisy slurp of her drink and then sits back with a satisfied smile.

"I can't believe you guys made me suffer Jung's company by myself for like, two hours. Why were you so late, hmm? It doesn't take_ that_ long to shower and get ready." She jabs me with her elbow.

"Two hours? C'mon, Mi. It was twenty minutes at the most," I correct her, avoiding the question. Hazy images of the afternoon fill my head, fingers twisting in thin cotton bedsheets, winding my arms around Hwo's neck, his breath on my lips as the curtain covering the window flutters in the sea breeze, wrapping my legs around him, his dizzying kisses and both of us breathless, our skin sticky with sweat. I glance at him, my face reddening, and I can tell he's thinking about it too.

"Y'know, I think there's three straws in that drink for a reason." Jung says, his expression nonchalant.

Miharu takes another quick sip from her pineapple, then pushes it towards him.

"If you wanted to try it, you could have just said."

"Well, it's just nice to be asked," he sniffs.

Miharu and Jung's good-natured bickering fades into background noise as I fix my gaze on the horizon. The bar we're in opens onto the seafront. The tables are mint green, there's fairylights strung from the ceiling, and they serve most of their drinks in mason jars. Apart from Miharu's pineapple, obviously. It's definitely her choice of bar, she loves stuff like this.

The sun's setting, streaking bright orange and purple across the sky. I lock my ankle around Hwo's under the table, and he bumps my knee with his. His arm is slung over the back of my chair. For a second, as we stare out at the sinking sun, the warm breeze winding around us, I want to ask him if he knows how happy he makes me, if he feels the same.

"Hwo...?

"Yeah?"

The question dissolves unspoken on my lips as I meet his gaze, take in his smile. I don't need to ask.


End file.
